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Examples Of Violence In The Odyssey

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Odyssey Violence Motifs

Gonzalo Teijeiro Martin
Write a paragraph on the motifs behind violence in the odyssey with a quote

In the Odyssey, violence is a recurring motif that is used to depict the struggles of the characters as they navigate the challenges of their world. One of the most prominent examples of this is the violence that is inflicted upon Odysseus and his crew by the Cyclops Polyphemus. This violent encounter is a clear representation of the dangers that the characters must face on their journey, as well as the power of the gods to shape the fate of mortals. "But the Cyclops, with a wrenching scream, tore loose the top of a high mountain and flung it, and the rock came hurtling down with a thunderous crash" (The Odyssey, Book
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The Odyssey by Homer is an epic tale about the Greek hero Odysseus and his adventures back home to Ithaca. With the assumption that he had died, Odysseus’ wife Penelope and son Telemachus face off a group of suitors looking to court Penelope. A major theme found in The Odyssey is the notion of revenge. Additionally, a recurrent literary device—the epic simile—appears throughout the story, wherein comparisons are made in the form of similes, except on a grander scale. Homer utilizes a couple of epic similes in Book XXII to fully substantiate the formidability of Odysseus’ thirst for revenge against the suitors and his traitorous servants through the use of violent imagery.

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In Book IX, lines 291-331 of The Odyssey, Homer's use of imagery, word choice, and figurative language. Is used to create Odysseus as the epic hero, which furthers the understanding of Odysseus’ true traits. In this passage the Cyclops who is the son of Poseidon shows hospitality to Odysseus and the other men at first, but soon devour two of Odysseus's men on the spot, and imprisons Odysseus/ putting him on the spot and causing him to make decisions very quickly. Throughout the whole epic poem and this passage as well imagery is used the most to create meaning. In lines 316-320 Homer says “Then he dismembered them and made his meal, gaping and crunching like a mountain lion, everything innards, flesh and marrow bones.

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The Odyssey is an epic written by Homer. In the epic, the hero Odysseus is tested after given the task to get his men, as well as himself back home, while trying to survive the harsh terrain and vicious monsters that they encounter. After analyzing Odysseus's carelessness, lack of truth, and selfishness throughout the epic, the readers realize that he is a horrible leader. Throughout the epic, Odysseus neglected to pay attention to the men’s safety. Before Odysseus and his men encountered Scylla, he made sure that he was safe from the monster, leaving his men to be eaten (The Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis. 728).

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The external and internal conflict found in the section of the Odyssey, Scylla and Charybdis are abundant there are external conflicts of Odysseus standing in face of death, or deciding to keep his crew going and being level heading even in the face of immense danger. An example of this external conflict was shown to us by him standing on the ship’s deck with two heavy spears and facing the great sea monsters, ”so I tie on my cuirass and took up two heavy spears, then made my way along the foredeck - thinking to see her first from there, the monster of the gray rock”(Homer, 196). This quote shows that Odysseus was not afraid to fight for the sake of his crew, this shows a external conflict of him fighting something real. During this battle

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Can dishonesty be valuable if it was used to achieve desirable outcomes? Is lying considered justified if it was involved in a dangerous situation? It is not always bad to lie. As children, we were continuously taught to be honest. We have grown to be implanted with the fact that lying is unacceptable but admissible.

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In the book the Odyssey, people broke into Odysseus 's house and tried to get his wife to marry them. They used is belongings for themselves, they broke into his house, and they tried to take the throne from him before even knowing if he was dead or not. In my perspective their punishment we 're not too severe they deserved to be punished for their actions. They threatened his wife and try to force her to marry them. Considering all that the Wooers did whether it was stealing, breaking, or forcing others to do what they told them to they all deserved what they got.

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Throughout The Odyssey justice was particularly harsh; the gods punished the people on Earth whichever way they pleased. For instance, when Poseidon reprimanded the Phaeacians for sending Odysseus home he said, “They will learn at last to cease and desist from escorting every man alive – I’ll pile a huge mountain round about their port!”(13, 171-173). Although the Phaeacians were being kind and generous to Odysseus by directing him home to Ithaca, the Phaeacians went against the god’s outlook, specifically Poseidon’s, on how Odysseus should be treated. That resulted in them being punished in a cruel way, even though they were only striving to help Odysseus. Poseidon had a strong resentment towards Odysseus for blinding his son, Polyphemus, and it was likely that this was why the Phaeacians’ punishment was uncalled

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In the epic poem The Odyssey, the theme of greed is a prominent one that plays a significant role in the actions of many of the characters. Throughout the story, we see examples of greed driving people to act in ways that are harmful to others, whether it is greed for power, wealth, or prestige. Conversely, there are also examples of characters who resist the temptation of greed and show self-restraint. At the beginning of the story, we see the suitors taking advantage of Odysseus' absence to try to win over his wife, Penelope.

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On their way home, Odysseus and his crew faced many obstacles. The way they handle these obstacles highlights their greediness. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus’s crew is portrayed as greedy which delays their journey home. First, the crew’s greediness delayed their journey home when traveling to Aiolos’ Kingdom by setting themselves back.

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An epic hero is someone who is characterized commonly on their nobility and bravery. However ,there are more attributes epic heros can posses. For example Odysseus, the protagonist in Homer's retelling of “The Odyssey”, shows many forms of excessive arrogance and pomposity. After conquering Troy, Odysseus and his men set off on their way home.

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While Odysseus’ actions taken to punish the suitors may appear immoral in modern society, by considering the ways in which modern society differs from Homeric society, Odysseus’ actions are just in the context of the poem. As violence has an extremely negative connotation in modern society, the use of the death penalty is morally ambiguous, and is a highly debated topic; however, violence is far more legitimized in the society of the Odyssey, and therefore, death is a far more acceptable form of punishment. This idea is exemplified by the way in which violence is discussed between characters within the Odyssey. In particular, this general acceptance of violence is demonstrated through the fact that many of the characters within the Odyssey share an almost unanimous belief that the suitors should be put to death to pay for their crimes.

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When writing The Odyssey, Homer organizes the story in a unique yet confusing way. The reader follows Odysseus in his journey that is written out of order and confusing to follow for the reader. Odysseus journey also provides many different themes for the reader to follow leads to even more confusion for the reader. In The Odyssey, the structure Homer uses and his own arrogance leads to a confusing nameless main character for the start of the story, the many different themes, and non-chronological events only lead to confusion for the reader throughout the story. Homer's choosing to keep Odysseus nameless at the beginning of the story creates a confusing start for the reader.

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But, after angering Poseidon by blinding his one eyed cyclops son, Odysseus must go through brutal situations to get home thanks to the fuming god. The theme, the search for justice, is very prevalent in this text because of the fight between Odysseus and the suitors, the reunion of Odysseus and his wife Penelope and when Odysseus visits his father Laertes and Athena must restore peace because of the fight that breaks out there. To begin, the theme searching for justice is shown clearly when Odysseus returns home and kills the suitors. The text states, “Odysseus took aim and hit him with an arrow in the throat.

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The cyclops Polyphemus effectively sets up the entire plot of Homer’s Odyssey, unleashing Poseidon’s wrath on Odysseus and consequently emerging as one of his most formidable rivals. Despite being perceived by Odysseus as an uncivilized savage and the polar opposite of a Greek citizen, it becomes evident that although the two are opposed in terms of customs, they fundamentally resemble one another when analyzed through the lens of xenia, rendering Odysseus’ worldview xenophobic. Thus, the Polyphemus episode turns into a powerful allegory for how the West has traditionally viewed people from foreign cultures that they sought to subjugate. Odysseus regards Polyphemus as inferior because of behavior that he sees as uncivilized when compared to

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